The River District welcomes its first resident

Charlotte’s sweeping new 1,400-acre community, The River District, has reached a major milestone: welcoming its very first resident. After nearly a decade in the making, this master-planned development — tucked between the Catawba River and Charlotte Douglas International Airport — is officially transforming West Charlotte.

Editor Maria, here. I visited the development nearly one year ago for the West Boulevard connector opening. It blows my mind how fast this neighborhood is coming together.

“This community offers a lot of outdoors type of activities, which I really enjoy,” Brian Olms, the development’s first homeowner, told CLTtoday. “I’m a big avid runner. And it’s just exciting to see how many different neighborhoods will be here and how many activities and events are expected to be here.”

The project was first proposed in 2016. The vision? A walkable, mixed-use community with neighborhoods, shops, trails, and plenty of green space. Four builders — David Weekley Homes, DRB Homes, Saussy Burbank, and Toll Brothers — broke ground on single-family homes and townhomes earlier this year, and many are on track to be completed within the coming months.

The first phase, Westrow, is designed to be the town center. Think: Sidewalks connected to a two-acre working farm, tree-lined streets, and storefronts. Once complete, the district will boast 30 miles of trails, six neighborhoods with up to 2,300 single-family homes + 2,350 multifamily units, and the city’s first public riverfront park.

“We’re a community that’s going to be connected and super bike-friendly,” Crescent Communities’ Andrew Baysden told CLTtoday. “There will be a school here eventually and the hope is that kids will certainly be able to ride their bikes to school. And we’ve heard from the first residents that the vision we set for this place, the soul of the city and the heart of nature, is showing in the early stages.”

Want to check it out yourself? Crescent Communities is hosting a grand opening celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with games, live music, and tours of upcoming homes. Bonus: The community playground will be ready for children to make memories.